The Ford Motor Co. envisioned the Edsel as “the” car for the executive on the rise. Manufactured in the 1958-60 model years, it was oddly styled and overhyped, quickly becoming a colossal failure and the punch line of an automotive generation.

However, like the Chevrolet Corvair and the DeLorean, the Edsel has risen to cult status.

On Saturday, Nov. 24, the Roadrunner Edsel Club of Arizona is sponsoring the 17th annual Desert Edsel Fest Car Show at Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino in Maricopa. Goodie bags, door prizes and a two-for-one buffet to the first 75 entrants will be offered. In addition to Edsels, the show is open to all makes and models. Organizers expect 10 to 15 Edsels and about 100 other cars.

“What makes our show special is there is never an entry fee for anyone who would like to participate,” club publicity director Dave Kirkel said. “There is no judging, just a fun day for owners to show off their special ride and have a good time.”

Ford began designing the Edsel — named for Henry Ford’s son — in the mid-1950s after deciding it needed a car to compete with General Motors’ midpriced vehicles, such as Oldsmobile and Buick. Edsel was established as a separate division of Ford, although the cars were engineered on Ford designs.

To promote “the Newest Thing on Wheels,” Ford developed a star-studded TV show in fall 1957. Bing Crosby, Louis Armstrong, Frank Sinatra, Rosemary Clooney and Bob Hope were among those appearing on the highly rated CBS special.

The initial buzz for the Edsel was tremendous, with crowds flocking to dealerships on “E Day,” Sept. 4, 1957. But the enthusiasm soon sputtered as buyers discovered that the Edsel was little more than a dressed-up Mercury selling at a premium price. The weird phallic grille and eyebrow taillights didn’t help matters.

Kirkel, who lives in Surprise, will enter his 1959 Edsel Corsair convertible. Painted President Red with a black top, it’s one of only 1,343 Edsel convertibles manufactured in 1959.

“For a ’59, it’s a highly optioned car with a powerful 361-cubic-inch Interceptor engine, power brakes, power steering, power windows and power seats,” Kirkel said.

The rarest Edsel is a 1960 convertible. Ford manufactured about 2,800 Edsels before pulling the plug in 1960, and only 76 were drop-tops.

Kirkel owns a 1960 Edsel Ranger convertible in Buttercup Yellow with a black top — one of three in that color still in existence. It won best of show at the International Edsel Club Convention in 2012.

“My ’60 convertible has a 292-cubic-inch engine with power steering, manual brakes and automatic transmission,” Kirkel said. “It does have fairly uncommon Edsel-dealer installed Polar Aire AC, which is nice.

“It underwent a frame-off restoration about five years ago, and everything about the car is factory stock.”

Ty Triplett of Phoenix has been an Edsel owner since 1969.

“I’ve owned Edsels since I was 15, and as I grew up in the ’60s, you just never saw an Edsel on the road. They were rare and different; I just had to have one,” he said.

Triplett founded the first Arizona chapter of the International Edsel Club in 1972 and is currently president of the Roadrunner Edsel Club.

“I have two Edsels; a ’58 Citation hardtop that is serial No.1, the first car built at the Los Angeles assembly plant,” Triplett said. “I’ve owned the car for over 20 years.”

The car is “solid Ice Green, a light shade, but the majority of ’58 Edsels came in two-tone or tri-tone color combinations,” he said.

The Citation is powered by a 410-cubic-inch 345-horsepower V-8 mated to Edsel’s signature Teletouch Drive transmission with push-button controls mounted in the steering-wheel hub. After the Edsel’s first year of manufacture, Ford dropped the troublesome Teletouch transmission.

Triplett’s other Edsel is a silver-gray metallic 1958 Ranger sedan with 21,000 miles.

“It’s an original, non-restored car that was bought new at Camelback Edsel Sales in Phoenix,” he said.

Under the Ranger’s hood is a 361-cubic-inch V-8 that puts out 303 horsepower.

“Teletouch was a popular option; 92 percent of ’58 Edsels were built with automatic transmissions,” Triplett said. “My Ranger has the conventional lever-type automatic, which was a lower-cost option than Teletouch.”

The show is not a charity event, nor does it raise money for the Roadrunner Edsel Club. It’s just a chance to reminisce about a spectacular blunder from Detroit.

“It is the one time each year when our club can show off our Edsels,” Kirkel said.

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